Comixology.com's John Roberts recently got the chance to interview Ron Perazza, Director of Creative Services at DC Comics and one of the chief architects of Zuda Comics which launched on October 30, 2007.

Comixology: When collecting the initial pool of contestants, what was the editorial motivation?

Ron Perazza: I think I should point out that we didn't "collect" them so much as we invited people to pitch. The site wasn't live at this point so everything was very "manual" - phone calls, e-mail, etc. Thankfully, some took us up on the offer. Kwanza [Johnson] was really the spearhead for this. The editorial motivation was simply that we approached people whose work we admired from one place or another, both inside and outside of comics. We didn't tell them what to pitch or what kind of stories to present – we just gave them some background about what we were trying to do, and the format, and let them go. Some came back with lots of ideas, others came back with the one idea that they have been chewing on and waiting for the right opportunity. It was important for us not to force it and to try and preserve as much of the creativity and diversity that the artists themselves brought to the site.

Cmxlgy: How does the infamous "Monkeys, pants & Ninjas" criteria fit into your selection process?

RP: Ha! You forgot Robots. Seriously though, I think that was really just being playful with some common, recurring comic themes. Sort of a flavorful way or saying anything goes and not meant to be taken literally.

Cmxlgy: Jeremy Love is the only "Instant Winner", what was it about Jeremy's pitch and or work that singled him out for such a distinction?

RP: Have you read it? It's fantastic! I think it was one of those rare instances where everything – the work, the timing, the opportunity, the format – it all came together in just the right combination. We couldn't be happier to be working with Jeremy and publishing Bayou.

Cmxlgy: Is the goal of Zuda to extend outside the super-hero genre?

RP: We did not go into this thinking that we were going to publish super-hero books online. We have been actively promoting genre diversity – and on site right now we have historical pieces, drama, horror, comedy and yes, super-hero titles. I think super-heroes are just such a part of American comics that it would be impossible not to have some artists gravitate that way and play with those concepts. I also think we would be short sighted if we just refused to take a chance on something simply because it touched on super-heroes in some way. To answer your question though, Zuda Comics is absolutely and actively interested in working outside of the super-hero genre.

Cmxlgy: Do you plan to continue soliciting talent for Zuda?

RP: If by solicit you mean work with people outside the site in order to get their comics on site then the answer is no. When we didn't have a web site we naturally had to use the phone or e-mail or even just meeting people at conventions. Now that the site is live there's no need for that. We do plan to continue to spread the word and encourage people whose work we admire to go to the site and consider submitting something though. At this point the site is live so everything will come through there.

Cmxlgy: Are there plans to print Zuda content? And if so under what DC imprint?

RP: Print has always been part of the plan. Zuda Comics will be under the Zuda Comics imprint, of course.

Cmxlgy: From a web technology point of view, using Adobe Flash to deliver your content is contradictory to other webcomic websites that use more traditional web-based technologies. What was the rationale for using Flash over JavaScript and HTML?

RP: I don't think that a technology alone can be considered good or bad. For example, content aside, simply using a JPEG doesn't necessarily make for a better or worse reading experience. For us, full screen mode was important - we wanted to offer readers the ability to shut out the whole site and just read comics, if they wanted to. We also wanted readers to be able to zoom in and out at their whim in order to check out the detail on a specific panel or area of the comic. There are other features to the viewer, but the point is that we made a technology decision based on functions we thought were important to the reading and evaluation experience. I understand some people are a bit ruffled about linking – one of the most obvious pro JPEG/HTML arguments. However, this too is entirely possible in Flash and has always been part of our development plan. Users can already link to the comic directly (for example, zudacomics.com/bayou). Also, using Deep Linking, users will also be able to link to a specific page within a comic.

Cmxlgy: The Zuda logo stands out from other DC imprints, what was the motivation to use a more "character" based logo rather then a textual based one?

RP: Having multiple logos was meant to represent the diversity of content that we are looking to publish. Plus, this is comics – it should be fun.

Cmxlgy: In the post-Apple world, why announce Zuda so far in advance of its launch?

RP: We had a lot of information we wanted to communicate to people prior to opening the doors – things as simple as gathering up postcards for our postcard comic or as important as getting the contract information out so that people could make informed decisions about what they wanted to do with their work. We have always been thinking about Zuda as a long-term publishing operation, where we're trying to grow something unique and meaningful. With that in mind, having a few months lead time in order to communicate things that we felt were important felt like the right thing to do.

Cmxlgy: Is there any plan to leverage pre-existing socially-based websites, such as MySpace or Facebook, to extend the reach of Zuda?

RP: We've done some work with MySpace in the past but right now we're trying to focus as much attention on the social aspects of Zuda itself as possible.

Cmxlgy: With over a million iPhones sold, are there plans to create an iPhone version of the site?

RP: That's two Apple related questions! Mac fan? Wouldn't Apple need to get Flash working on the iPhone first? I think it's a bit too early to speculate about other platforms just yet – but enabling as any users as possible to read our comics is definitely the plan.

Cmxlgy: Are there plans for downloadable content?

RP: That would be cool.

Cmxlgy: Will Zuda remain free? Or will there be content specifically created for subscription or download delivery?

RP: There are no plans to make Zuda a subscription service or to make people pay to read the comics on site at all. They're there for free – enjoy!

Cmxlgy: Are there plans to extend Zuda beyond static images? Or will we start seeing animated content like Home Star Runner and PvP?

RP: If you're talking about on site then I would say that I have a strong belief that comics and cartoons are each unique storytelling mediums, requiring different areas of expertise and different methods of creation. I don't think that comics "evolve" into animation. That said, I would be all for some of our comics expanding into other mediums – I think that'd be a really great success story for some of our creators and the stories they're telling. But I think the comics need to exist as comics first.

Cmxlgy: What are the long term goals for Zuda?

RP: That's a very broad question. To give an equally broad answer: great comics – a library of great comics that are successful both aesthetically, critically and commercially successful – and an influx of bright, new creative people who are able to work on them.

Cmxlgy: Are there plans to create content specifically for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii?

RP: Wow, man is it not enough to have them on site? First the iPhone and now Xbox Live? Ha! I think reaching a broader audience through digital distribution is interesting and compelling, but at this point there are no plans in the works for that.

Cmxlgy: How long will content remain on Zuda? Is there a limited shelf life for content? And if so will there be any method for users to obtain archived works?

RP: The ongoing series content – like Bayou – will remain on site for as long as we continue to publish it. The competition content will also remain on site, non-exclusively, for as long as the creator agrees. I point out the non-exclusive part of that because I think it's important to note that they are able to do whatever they like with the story – except during the period of the competition itself. We're trying to keep that competition window as fair as possible. At present, there are no plans to take anything down and archive it simply to get it down. We're leaving it up – enjoy!